eBook - ePub

A German Deserter's War Experiences

Name: A German Deserter's War Experiences
ISBN: 9781473850118

Fighting for the Kaiser in the First World War

Julius Koettgen,

188 pages
English
ePUB (mobile friendly)
Available on iOS & Android

eBook - ePub

A German Deserter's War Experiences

Fighting for the Kaiser in the First World War

Julius Koettgen,

About this book

A firsthand account of a German soldier's horrific experiences fighting in France and Belgium, culminating in his escape from military service.

In 1913 Julius Koettgen, a pacifist and a socialist, was drafted into the ranks of sapper battalion No. 30. He dutifully fought in the ranks of the Kaiser's armies during 1914 and 1915 and saw action in France and Belgium where he describes the terrible events which were to become known as "the rape of Belgium" and also details the extent of the fighting including being forced to form part of a firing squad, crossing the Meuse under heavy fire, using corpses as road building materials, annihilating a cavalry charge, hand-to-hand bayonet fighting, and the awful events of the disastrous German retreat from the Marne.

Koettgen also experienced the horrors of trench warfare and the famous Christmas truce of 1914. In 1915 he decided that enough was enough and escaped military life by deserting the colors and slipping through the lines to neutral Holland. His was memoirs were published by a gleeful allied press under the title A German Deserter's War Experience.

This English translation—edited and introduced by Emmy Award™-winning historian Bob Carruthers—provides a rare primary source of insight into the German side during the crucial opening battles of the war and is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the Great War from the German perspective.

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Yes, you can access A German Deserter's War Experiences by Julius Koettgen in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Social Science Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.